Philosophy of Ramanuja

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Chapter2-section5-

 

Brahman as the whole and the individual soul as the part

 

This relationship between Brahman and jiva is known as amsa-amsi bhava. Ramanuja

explains this in his Sribhshya while commenting on the Brahma suthra ,’amSo

nAnA vyapadheSAth,’ (BS.II.3.42) and the

subsequent suthras.

 

In chandhOgya upanishad it is declared

'pa:dho:asyavisva:bhoo tha:ni thripa:dhasya:mrtham dhivi,(Chan.3-12- 6)

 

All beings and the world constitute one part (quarter) of the supreme

self and the rest of the three quarters are immortal in heaven.' The

word pa:dha denotes amsa. The plural term bhoothani, is used as souls are many.

 

In Bhagavatgita the Lord declares

'mamaiva:mso: jivalo:ke: jivabhoothah sanathanah,(BG.15-7)

an eternal part of Myself has become the individual soul.'

 

Also it is said ‘ vishtabhyAham idham krthsnam ekAmSena sThitho

jagath,’(BG.10.42) “I stand sustaining the whole Universe with a fragment of

mine.â€

 

An objection is raised that if the soul is part of Brahman all

imperfections of the soul will be of Brahman too. As the light of a luminous

body, the generic character (jati) of an entity and the color of an object,

though being part of the object they qualify are different from it so also

Brahman is different from the individual self which forms its mode. A visEshaNa,

attribute and the vise:shya the object having the attribute are inseparable yet

different. The declarations of identity and difference denote the two aspects,

the inseparability of the substance and its attribute and the distinctness of

the substance and the attribute, respectively.

 

In VishnupurANa ParAsara states

'e:kadhe:sasthithasyA gne:h jyothsna: vistha:rinee yatha, parsyabrahman ah

sakthih ththe:dham akhilam jagath,(VP.1-22-56)

 

Just as the light of a luminous body that exists in one place spreads around,

the power of Brahman pervades the whole world. Also the individual self is

declared to be the body of the Lord.'thasyasrjyasya

sambhoothou thath sarvE vai harEsthanuh, ' all these created are the

body of Hari.

 

Like the fire which is from the household of a brahmana is accepted

while that from cremation ground is not, though the fire is the same

everywhere, the difference in qualification is due to the purity or

otherwise of the body the soul occupies.

 

Even though all souls are part of Brahman they being atomic and

different from each other the result of the karma is different for each.